Making Your Business Paperless

In today's increasingly digitized world, more and more business owners find themselves wondering whether to go paperless. Luckily, modern technology makes the switch to paperless easier than ever and well worth the effort. Check out these tips to help your business make the switch to paperless today. 

Reasons To Go Paperless

The benefits of digitizing are hardly insignificant and can include saving money and increasing the overall efficiency of business operations. Here are just a few of the many benefits you can expect.

• Increased employee efficiency. Going paperless can cut down on human error and make documents much more accessible to all.

• Saving money. The cost of paper can add up quickly, especially when considering the long documents commonly found in businesses. Many businesses that go paperless see a full return on investment within a year of making the switch.

• Increased data security. Cloud-based storage systems often have high levels of security that ensure data and privacy protection.

• Customer satisfaction. Going paperless means your customers can receive any document electronically, offering them convenience and saving time.

• Environmentally friendly. Paper manufacturing is a large contributor to environmental pollution, and paper takes up a staggering 26% of waste in landfills. Going paperless helps to mitigate this damage to the environment.

Going Paperless

Starting the process of going paperless is quite simple using the abundance of modern technologies available. Here are a few ways to get started today.

Organize Existing Documents

When making the transition to paperless, begin by organizing all your documents for digital use. Consider buying a scanner to digitize your documents before you begin to organize them. Cutting down on the number of printers, copiers, and fax machines in the office can help to make this transition proceed more quickly as well.

When your documents are digitized, you need a way to ensure related documents are all kept together in one place. Be sure to combine PDFs into one file which can place multiple documents in one file, which saves time spent locating documents. A PDF merger also allows you to arrange the order of pages in your document, helping you to get your content organized.

Incorporate Useful Software

Cloud-based software, such as Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, and Dropbox, is ideal for storing documents in a secure location. This type of software also allows users to freely share documents between each other digitally, making it a must-have for offices.

Another area where software can be useful is with forms requiring electronic signatures. Software such as DocuSign allows for signatures to be written digitally, eliminating the need to print out these documents.

Start a Recycling Protocol

A recycling program in your business helps make the transition to paperless by getting rid of documents that have been digitized. Aside from bolstering your move to paperless, a recycling program has many additional benefits, from decreasing the carbon footprint of your business to reducing waste costs.

Getting Started Today

Going paperless can be a straightforward process if you implement the right tools. A chamber of commerce can also be a valuable resource for ways to go paperless within your community.

Consider joining your local chamber today to get connected with a community-wide paperless initiative.